Facing the Sun
by Foolish Heart Masquerade
Summary: It was strange how a waterbender could feel so close to the sun and not to the moon. No longer able to waterbend after a tragic accident severs her connection to the moon and the sea, she searches for answers and finds them in the strangest of places and the goldest of eyes. This is a story of love, friendship, and a waterbender who finds her place in a time before her own. Zuko/OC
1. Summary

_Facing the Sun_

* * *

_Summary_

* * *

Life was something she never would've taken for granted – ever. Not even then, when the world seemed kind and showed her images in color rather than black and white like the pages of an old, forgotten book. Nothing was perfect, but nothing was wrong. Then, in the blink of an eye, everything that once made her smile vanished in the thick of smoke and blaring car alarms and shattered glass veiling a once promising highway. That was when she feared – _really_ feared – for the first time, and the promises of her tender feelings were torn apart and strewn over a void of pain and endless questions. Ten years later, and the memories have all but left the girl in peace. They linger around every corner.

Miyu's connection to the moon and the sea had been severed. No longer could she bend the waves the way she dreamt when she was a little girl. Left with only a strange psychic ability to heal and a heart so full of questions, she finally finds the answers she had been longing for in the strangest of places and in the goldest of eyes.

In this place, she finds her destiny.

In this place, she becomes the person she was meant to be.

And in this place, she finds her happiness facing the sun.

It was strange how a waterbender could feel so close to the sun and not to the moon.

* * *

_Story_

* * *

Setting: Alternate Universe/Original Universe. Time traveling.

Genres: Romance, hurt/comfort, friendship, action/adventure, fantasy

Main Pairing: Zuko/Miyu. Otherwise, canon pairings left unchanged.

Rating: T for teen

Unusual ability: Psychic healing only. Otherwise, all other abilities are canon.


	2. Chapter One

_Facing the Sun_

* * *

_Chapter One_

* * *

The sun's rays shone gently through the little window by a desk on the far left, where the same girl always sat with the same thoughts whenever she'd daydream in class. She would peer out into the sunset over the water, and her ears would make out the faint sounds of gulls chanting and waves sloshing. And sometimes, if she listened carefully, she would be able to make out the happy sounds of triumphant laughter from the small children who splashed around the shore with their parents. She was fifteen now, but she still remembers when she was like them – carefree and eyes wide in wonder of the world and all the places she would go with her sister. It'd been nearly ten years since she'd last visited the shore. What once used to be bright and vivid in color was now dull and gray, and like sand slipping through splayed fingers, memories faded away, leaving their traces in the small ways they could.

If she could go back to those times, she would take every second and make it count more than she ever would have before.

"Miyu!" The teacher scolded, irritated and worried all the same with the girl's obvious lack of attention.

The small girl by the window leapt at the sound of her name being called. She never meant to daydream, but no matter how she tried to focus, her mind would always seem to wander.

"Care to tell me what's so fascinating?" Miss Kanou teased, a smirk adorning her pretty features. Though she often scolded Miyu, it was never out of anger. She cared for the girl in ways many of her classmates didn't understand. And though Miyu often wore a delicate smile and her shy eyes shone with a rare innocence, there was a part of her that cried and pleaded for a chance to see her sister again. A plead that she buried beneath her happy façade. She fooled almost everyone.

"I-I… well…" She stuttered, peering down at the surface of her desk shyly. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to –"

"Come see me after class, Miyu." Her voice was stern, but Miyu understood the worry in her teacher's eyes. She really was a kind woman, and Miyu felt horrible for the way she had been daydreaming through class lately.

As she was asked, Miyu lingered behind her class once the final bell rung, sending her peers out in a flurry of conversation and excitement. She sighed, watching them go. Miyu was always the last one to leave, but this time, it felt odd. New. She turned to a single paper waiting on her desk and visually traced over the drawing she had started, studying her progress. Anything to ease her building anticipation of returning home.

"You really are a wonderful artist," her teacher said with a smile. She had approached the girl without being noticed.

"O-Oh," Miyu stuttered bashfully. "Thank you, Miss Kanou."

"Mind if I take a closer look?" the teacher asked, recognizing the boy in the picture. "This is Prince Zuko, isn't it? The one from the stories you always like to read?"

Miyu nodded. "I wonder what it was like back then." Her eyes were distant this time. She was always thinking about the past in one way or another. "I couldn't imagine having to face so many obstacles." So many trials. Miyu's only real trial began nearly ten years ago and had yet to come to an end.

"Well," Miss Kanou started with a sigh, "I think we all have to face several obstacles throughout our lives. That's just the way things are." Then she said brightly, "But it's our struggles that make peaceful times truly worth having." She gently referred to Miyu's own struggles.

Miyu thought about this for a moment, her brow subconsciously furrowing. She peered down at her drawing of a boy who also struggled with heartache and turmoil, though years and years before her time.

Miss Kanou placed a hand on Miyu's shoulder. "I worry about you. I just wanted to tell you that, even though I _am_ your teacher, I will be here for you in every way that I can be. You can talk to me about absolutely anything if you ever feel like you can't talk to anyone else." She slouched slightly, looking directly into Miyu's eyes. She knew that Miyu had loving parents, but she wasn't sure exactly how much she revealed to them.

Miyu averted her gaze only after a short moment, afraid to share her feelings. This was _her_ pain. She didn't want it to become anyone else's – ever. She would never wish this on anyone.

"Miyu?" The woman said softly, wondering where the girl's thoughts were.

"Okay," Miyu answered finally, smiling. "Thank you for your kindness. I don't feel like I am very deserving of it."

"Miyu…" Miss Kanou trailed, her chest tightening. "I can't help but worry about you. I've known you and your family for quite some time now. I've watched you grow in so many ways. I understand that it may sound very odd to you, considering that you only know me as your teacher, but teachers are human beings, too," she laughed briefly. "My point is that I would still care about you – no matter what sort of person you become or what you may be going through that you feel makes you any less deserving of love and care than someone else." Her hand slipped from Miyu's shoulder then.

The girl was stoic, her expression faultless in comparison to the smile she always carried to the city and to her high school. She was silent for a moment before she met her teacher's eyes once more. "T-Thank you." She took a deep breath, realizing that she hadn't been breathing. She was afraid – _so _afraid to involve anyone else in these dark feelings. That was all she could seem to say for now, though her mind was teeming with so much more.

"Would you like me to give you a ride back to Hirokai? I would feel better if you weren't walking alone in the city." Miss Kanou couldn't help but behave in a motherly fashion. She wanted very much to have children of her own, but she was incapable of bearing a child. She took to her students as if they were her adopted children. When Miyu enrolled as a freshman, Miss Kanou saw right away that there was something different about the girl.

And something very sad about her smile.

"No, it's okay. I don't mean to be a burden. My father has trained me to defend myself if the need arises, but thank you very much for the offer." It was as if Miyu had rehearsed her words.

She always seemed to decline when Miss Kanou offered her a safe trip home. Miss Kanou would feel horrible if she didn't offer, so she always found a way to remind Miyu that the offer still stood.

The teacher sighed. "Well, I guess there's no changing your mind. You should head home now, then. The sun is already setting."

Miyu nodded before packing her things, making sure to stash her drawing in a safe place where it wouldn't crinkle and smudge. She slipped her backpack straps over her shoulders before trotting to the door. "Thanks again, Miss Kanou! F-For being so kind, I mean. " Miyu turned briefly and left Miss Kanou with a slight wave.

"Be safe, Miyu!"

* * *

Miyu enjoyed the walk through the city. Even though it was hardly ever silent, she enjoyed watching cars drive by and people dash across the busy streets whenever there was a gap in a traffic line. She enjoyed the sounds of the city. They sometimes covered up her busy thoughts and her nagging mind.

This time, someone walked by stringing along a dog on a leash, and before passing by, it licked Miyu's hand. Miyu giggled as she watched it continue on its way. It seemed as if the person walking it was in a bit of a hurry. They were out of sight in no time at all.

The sun really was already setting. The passage of time never seemed to slow. Miyu picked up her pace, hoping to get home in time to watch the sun set over the sea.

It had been ten years since she last visited the shore.

* * *

She dropped her bag off at the veranda, its wooden planks still warm from having soaked up the sun all day. Slipping off her shoes, she ran over the sand and relished in the way it squished beneath her feet and gently warmed their tired soles.

"Ten years!" She exclaimed in a hushed way, standing close to the sloshing waves so that they could reach for her and embrace her legs. "It's hard to believe I avoided coming here for so long, but I'm ready now."

She had grown accustomed to talking when no one was there. Sometimes, she would forget that she was actually alone. Certain memories she still held of her sister were still strong and vivid – so much that, at times, it was as if her sister was by her side again, teaching her to bend the waves in a way no one else admired more than Miyu. Her sister was the kind of waterbender Miyu always aspired to be, but now…

Miyu sighed, her high already dying.

She lifted her hands warily, posing in the way her sister had once taught her. It was a simple move, but regardless, Miyu's efforts were always in vain. The water had continued to ignore her since she was a small child. Try all she might, it was always the same. Yet, even so, she still hoped in some small way whenever she would lift her hands and beckon to the water that it would hear her and entwine with other wisps of blue sea as she called it to do so. In her imagination, Miyu created waves that soared for the clouds and towered over Hirokai. But never would this happen when she tried with eyes wide open. The fish created splashes, but never Miyu. Not anymore.

Though she still wondered why, she never stopped hoping that someday, she would become half the waterbender her sister was. And her father would be proud, as well as her mother. Her father was a master, and people from the nearby city came here to study with him and to learn what it truly means to become one with the spirit of the moon and the sea. Even Miyu strived to learn under her father's tutelage, but still, not one wave listened to her calling. Though her father was patient and encouraging, Miyu knew he was disappointed. She was nothing like her sister.

Her mother was different now, as she had been since the day of the accident. She was often times silent, and though she smiled for others, she often cried at night when the world was asleep, praying for her child and wishing that she could embrace her and kiss her cheeks again and brush her long, black hair like she used to in front of the vanity. Now, she would offer Miyu sparse affection and often focused her attention on household duties such as cooking and cleaning.

Miyu knelt down and slipped her finger through wet sand, drawing a simple heart. Her love for the ocean was always there, buried beneath her fears and her heartache. She missed her sister more than words could ever convey, and she was afraid that it would be too painful to return to the place she and her sister spent most of their time together.

"I miss you," she whispered, inspecting the small heart. "Everyone does." In fact, it _was_ painful, but her heart had healed enough to return to this place. Miyu once thought it would never begin to heal, and even in ten years, there was still emptiness and sorrow.

She had been learning to live with these feelings for a while now, and she would keep trying her best until it was time for her to go find her sister. Until then, she would try to better herself in every way she could. There _had_ to be a place for her in the world, and if not here, then where? She once thought that her place would always be Hirokai, but lately, her dreams painted pictures of faraway places.

* * *

Her parents made something special for her birthday: a traditional meal that was once popular only in the Fire Nation in old times. Like her sister, Miyu had developed a taste for spicy foods rather than the bland, fatty foods of the water tribes, which her parents normally preferred.

"How is my beautiful daughter doing?" her father had asked once his plate was full. Unlike his wife, he often spoke first and resolved to press through Miyu's presently quiet nature.

"Fine," she said politely, returning a small smile. She picked at her food, still thinking about her first trip to the sea in a long time. "Thank you for the meal," she thought to say, slipping a bite into her mouth. "It tastes really good!"

Her father chuckled. "Your mother and I haven't prepared this in a while, so we thought we'd surprise you." He sipped from his glass, clearing his throat. "It's hard to believe that you're fifteen already. Where did the time go?"

"Dad?" Miyu asked suddenly, uncertainly in her voice.

"What's on your mind, Miyu?"

"Am I…" she struggled to find the right words. Miyu was never good at saying anything, at least the way she meant to say things. "Well… Do you think I'll ever be able to waterbend again?"

Her father was silent for a short moment. "Miyu…" he trailed, placing down his utensils.

"Of course," her mother finally offered. It was the first time she had spoken since the table was prepared. "Just believe in yourself, Miyu." She was gentle in saying this. She and her husband knew that Miyu had yet to forgive herself for the tragedy that took place the day her sister passed away. She placed her hand over her daughter's and offered what little comfort she could. "Aya would want you to forgive yourself. We all want that for you, Miyu."

So many questions raced through Miyu's mind, but she nodded instead.

"You can still heal," her father supplied, referring to her healing abilities. "Your waterbending is still there. Maybe not in the way you would like it to be, but for now, maybe that's all it's meant to be." He paused for a moment. "I believe in you, Miyu. Don't be so hard on yourself. These things take time."

"Why…" Miyu started, unsure. "Why couldn't I heal Aya?" It was more a question to herself than to anyone else.

Her parents exchanged worried glances.

* * *

That night after they had eaten and their bellies were comfortably full, Miyu pardoned herself for the night and nearly headed back to her bedroom before thinking better of it. Instead, she traced the doorknob of her sister's door. It had been awhile since she visited Aya's room. This place, too, was difficult for Miyu to venture, though for some reason, she was never able to avoid it the way she avoided the sea.

She crept inside, gently shutting the door behind her. The room was always left untouched, save for the times her mother entered to dust and keep Aya's belongings from being buried beneath time's preserve. The sun had long since sunken behind the sea, but Miyu imagined a time when the sun rays would slip through barely opened blinds and splay bright patches of light over the carpet. At times like these, Miyu would always think of the sun. It was strange how a waterbender could feel so close to the sun and not to the moon.

She took a deep breath and swiped her hand over the mirror her grandmother had given Aya many years ago. She would always tell Miyu and Aya stories and legends that built the mirror's history, but Aya never believed in these stories. According to their grandmother, this was a special sort of mirror that was once used as a means of transportation to any six of the other mirrors like it – wherever they were in the world.

Of course, Miyu wasn't nearly as gullible as she used to be when she was a small child. And like her sister, she sorted any thoughts about her grandmother's stories away as fantasy and kept them there.

The mirror was already beginning to collect more dust. Miyu brushed her hand over it until she could see a reflection not quite so blurry. Peering back at her was a pale girl with dark hair and deep blue eyes, closely resembling an even mix of her parents. Miyu found features in herself now that also reminded her so much of her sister. Because of this, she neglected her reflection as often as possible.

Miyu realized that someone was standing behind her, seemingly waiting for her to turn around. Her heart leapt painfully and she spun around to face the intruder.

"Aya?" she breathed, but no one was there. Miyu was imagining things. She fell to her knees, suddenly weak.

For a moment, she believed that Aya wasn't really gone. She peered down at her hands, turning her palms upward and ignoring the tears that brimmed her eyes.

* * *

_"Someday, I'm going to be as strong as you are!" A sweet, young voice declared, tiny hands tossed high in excitement as she watched her older sister complete yet another beautiful set of steps she had recently learned from her father, the only waterbending master within miles and miles. _

_Even in the neighboring city of Hitachi, not one waterbender could quite compare to the girls' father. Aya often wondered if they were actually biased, but she would never say it out loud. Even if that was the case, the girls loved their mother and father and shared a close bond with their parents – almost as close as the bond they shared with each other. Even if there were greater warriors in the world, their father would always be the best in their eyes. _

_Aya stopped for a moment to rest, plopping down beside her sister in the sand. A close grouping of palm trees shaded them from the intense summer sun, and though Aya's skin was naturally more resilient to the sun's rays, Miyu wasn't quite so fortunate. _

_"You know what I think?" The older girl said softly after a moment of listening to the gulls in the distance. _

_"Hmm..." Miyu replied, letting the webbing between her toes soak in the warmth of the sand. As much as a child could love any place, she loved the shore. So many memories were created here, and not one was any less valuable than the next. _

_"I think that, someday, you will be one of the strongest people in the world, Miyu. Stronger than me and stronger than Dad." She smiled faintly, watching as the waves overlapped one another. It reminded her of a time when she wrested with her little sister during a pillow fight. There were feathers everywhere – so much that it almost looked like snow, or what she imagined snow would look like if it ever were to snow in Hirokai. _

_"What makes you say that?" Miyu chuckled, her voice crisp and innocent like bells ringing in the distance. _

_Aya shrugged. "I just do." She smiled down at the younger girl now. "A different kind of strong, I mean."_

_"Different…" Miyu repeated, wondering what her sister could mean. "How so?" _

_"Well…" Aya began, leaning back against propped arms and pressing her palms into the sand. "Strong in here." She pointed to her heart then. "And because of that, you will become strong as a waterbender, too."_

_Miyu wasn't sure what to think of that. Wasn't her heart strong already? "My heart is strong, right? It never skips a beat!" _

_"True, but that's not quite what I'm talking about, silly."_

_Aya stood, brushing the sand off her pants. "Come on. We should head inside and see if Mom needs any help with dinner. Dad's planning on having some guests over tonight to discuss some _business_," she emphasized, forming quotations with her fingers and wiggling them back and forth. _

_Miyu sighed and followed behind her sister back to the house. "They're going to tell stories of our ancestors again, aren't they? Like the ones who lived in the Southern Water Tribe a long time ago?" _

_"Something like that. They just like to keep tradition by telling stories of our people on the night of a full moon, and tonight's the night." _

_"Already? I feel like we just had a full moon!"_

_"Same here!" Aya laughed, crossing the veranda hand-in-hand with her little sister. "Oh well. After dinner, how about we put our pillows to some good use?"_

_Miyu's eyes twinkled in excitement. "Okay!" _

_It was late that night and Miyu couldn't sleep. The pillow fort she had built with her sister was probably the best one yet, and instead of sleeping the time away, she would rather stay awake and put her imagination to the test. Tomorrow was her sixth birthday, and though it was only her sixth, Miyu wanted to relish in being like this with her sister all that she could before they got too old for pillow fights and forts. Aya was already eighteen! Miyu couldn't believe it. Her sister was becoming a woman and leaving her behind already. Just the thought tightened her chest and burnt her eyes with unshed tears, but quickly, Miyu wiped them away and laughed instead. _

_Aya stirred, having dozed off only moments ago. "Hm?" She was groggy and disoriented. "Miyu?" _

_"Sorry." Miyu curled up beside her sister, resting her head on the same pillow. "I can't sleep, and then I thought of something funny." _

_Aya chuckled. "Goofy." She ruffled her sisters already static-y hair, earning a few giggles in return. "It's almost two o'clock in the morning," she said while stifling a yawn. _

_"I know…" she said, feeling disappointed that the night was going by so fast. Why did time with her sister always do this? "Then can I stay right here?" She closed her eyes, realizing that the pillow her sister was resting on was actually very comfortable, almost like resting on a cloud as Miyu would imagine.  
_

_"I don't see why not," her sister said through a smile, closing her eyes. She was already losing the fight to stay awake. Using what little energy she had left, she reached for the blanket covering her legs and tugged it upward so that it was covering them both up to their shoulders. _

_"Good night, Miyu." _

_Her little sister was already asleep. Aya was quick to follow. Her dreams created scenes of how they would spend Miyu's birthday together, and each time, they did something even more special. She soon dreamt of taking the stars one by one as if they were all part of a staircase and building a fort of clouds on the moon, where she and Miyu would spend their time laughing and telling stories._

_She knew it was supposed to be a surprise, but Miyu couldn't help but ask as she excitedly wiggled in the car seat the next morning. "Can I at least get a hint? Please!"_

_"Nope! You're too smart. I can't think of a hint that won't give everything away," Aya lied. Her sister was indeed smart for a six-year-old, but she wanted this to be the biggest surprise she had given her sister yet. There were plenty of hints she could toss around, but she would rather her little sister wriggle in excitement. And besides, she couldn't help but smile whenever she happened to steal a glance at Miyu's obvious anticipation. _

_They had already long since passed through the nearby city where Miyu now attended school. Now they were on the main stretch of road that spread out four lanes and was always buzzing with traffic. Though Aya didn't really care to drive on busy roads, her little sister was definitely worth the trouble. _

_"Oh, fine," Miyu grumbled, squishing her cheek against the car window. _

_"You'll find out soon enough. Don't worry," Aya laughed, stealing another glance at her sister. "Hey, don't make me pinch you!"_

_Miyu restrained a smile, but the slight twitch at the corners of her mouth gave her away. "You better not, Aya! You're driving!"_

_"I could pull over, you know. But I'd rather not," Aya teased. _

_An hour came and went before Miyu was roughly jerked awake from her nap against the window. _

_"Sorry, Miyu. I had to break. This guy obviously can't drive!" She sneered, watching cautiously as a truck bearing a pile of heavy logs swayed back and forth between lanes. _

_"Whoa, that's scary. What is that guy doing?" Miyu asked, suddenly awake. _

_"Not sure. I'm keeping my distance, though. I don't trust driving too close to him. Especially not with you being in the car." Aya's knuckles whitened as she clutched the wheel even tighter. _

_Miyu gasped. Suddenly, as she had feared, the large truck slammed into a nearby van, sending it screeching into the next lane. Logs came crashing down from the back of the truck, snapping free of their secures and slamming into several more cars nearby. _

_"Aya!" Miyu screeched, eyes wide and full of fresh tears. _

_"Hang on, Miyu!" The older girl cried, jerking the wheel and narrowly avoiding a collision from the left. _

_The car spun out of control as its wheels grated against broken glass, cutting through the rough texture. _

_"Dammit! We're stuck!" Aya cursed, slamming her foot desperately on the gas pedal. She couldn't think straight. _

_Was this really happening? _

_Miyu's heart was pounding. She felt sick to her stomach. "Aya…" she sobbed desperately, covering her face with her hands. Vehicles continued to spin out of control all around them and collide against each other and the railing that lined the busy highway. _

_Aya ripped free of her seat belt, doing the same for her sister. "Here, come out on my side!" She cried, grabbing for Miyu. _

_Before she had time to do anything more, a loud horn blared and headlights shone in through Aya's window. _

_"Aya!" Miyu screamed. _

_Time stood still in that moment. For the first time, it stood still. Only for them. _

* * *

_She couldn't stop coughing, no matter how much it hurt. It felt as though razor blades were slicing through every inch of her body, and she couldn't help but retch as the smoke teased her throat. Her vision was spotted; she was trapped beneath an upturned car, and the taste of blood filled her mouth. She could no longer feel her legs, but with great effort, she was able to slide her arms over the glass-dusted gravel of the highway and tug her body forward ever so slightly. _

_The slender figure of a young woman lied only a few feet away, her body bent unnaturally. Her clothes were torn and she was drenched in what almost looked like black fluid in Miyu's speckled vision, but she knew better. It was blood and there was a lot of it. _

_"Aya!" Miyu screamed, the blood in her throat distorting her speech. Through coughs and gasps for air, she repeated herself over and over again as if her voice alone could somehow wake her sister. "Plea-he-hease! Aya!" _

_Her ears perked at the sound of sirens in the distance. "Please, help…" she uttered helplessly. "Someone please help her…." The sirens sounded so far away, and though anyone else would say that help was close, Miyu felt that they wouldn't arrive in time._

_She nearly bit her tongue as she attempted, once more, to drag herself across the gravel. Parts of the car had been strewn about and torn to shreds, though enough remained to pin her legs to the ground and conceal her body from the light of day, or what was left of it behind the thick cloud of black smoke. _

_"A-Aya," she sobbed. "Aya." Her voice wasn't her own any longer. No matter how her throat burned, her pleads wouldn't cease. They couldn't. _

_This couldn't be happening. This was just a nightmare and she would wake up crying. Aya would tell her that none of this was real. That everything was okay. _

_One more tug and the sickening sound of snapping bone crackled throughout the thick smoke hovering around her. Miyu fought it as much as she could. She _had_ to get to her sister. She just had to. The physical pain was unbearable, but nothing could compare to the pain she felt in her heart. _

_It was all her body could handle. Something inexplicable began to take hold of her. It froze her arms and fingers and it silenced her whimpers, coaxing her with a blanket of darkness and easing her into a slumber so peaceful, she thought she may be following her sister to Heaven. _

_She would follow her anywhere if she could. _

* * *

_Her eyes snapped open and she jolted upward, springing herself from the confines of her stretcher. The sirens of the ambulance nearly deafened her ears, and the emergency responders around her stared in shock as the young girl snapped free of what was keeping her alive only moments ago. _

_"My sister! Where's my sister?!" She bellowed, searching frantically for any sign of Aya. _

_"Please, calm down!" One managed to say, but Miyu didn't want to hear it. _

_Only moments ago, she was crippled and several of her ribs were broken. Now, she was standing and even talking as if she had only experienced a gentle tumble on a bicycle with training wheels. _

_Not one person knew what to say. They stared stupidly. How…? How could this girl have healed so quickly? _

* * *

_It had only been a day. Miyu was already released from the hospital to return home, but she had yet to see her sister. Where were they keeping her? What room? Would she be okay, too? _

_The answer was not what she expected – not what she was willing to accept. Not at all. _

_Her mother and father held her as she screamed and sobbed at the news of her sister. _

_Aya was dead. _

* * *

"Miyu?"

The sound was distant at first, but once a familiar warmth splayed over her side, Miyu realized that she had fallen asleep on Aya's bedroom floor. Her mother was panicked.

Miyu pressed open the door, stepping out into the hallway so her mother could see her.

"I'm sorry," Miyu said, her mother's face falling in relief as she sighed. "I wanted to spend some time in Aya's room and I ended up going to sleep in there."

Her mother pulled her into a hug then, brushing a hand over the back of her head and sleeking her hair. "I didn't mean to panic. If I had known you were in Aya's room, I would've just let you sleep. I just worry about you, Miyu. I was afraid that you ran away."

"Where would I run to?" Miyu asked softly, her eyes distant. "And why would I run away? I wouldn't even consider leaving you and Dad."

Her mother's shoulders began to shake. "I'm not ready to lose you, too," she said through tears. "I don't mean to be so overprotective and paranoid, but I don't know how I could live with myself anymore if I couldn't hold you like this."

"Mom…" Miyu started, wrapping her arms around her mother's back. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise." Her family needed her. How could she even think of leaving when her mother was like this?

"I love you so much, Miyu," her mother said, calming herself. "I have been selfish since your sister passed, and for that, I am so, _so_ sorry."

Miyu rested her head on her mother's shoulder then, closing her eyes. Her mother was always capable of offering this sort of comfort, though she hardly ever showed it. It was her own way of protecting herself from the past rather than facing it and letting it go. Accepting it.

Miyu could understand that. She had yet to truly accept the past as well.

* * *

The hours came and went and before anyone knew it, the final bell was ringing to set Miss Kanou's students free from the confines of their studies. Miyu had finished her drawing now, studying its outcome with a smile that spread to her eyes as it rarely did.

Before she could protest, someone snatched the drawing from her desk and dangled it over her head.

"Hey!" she cried, bounding upward to take it back.

"What's with this drawing?" the boy asked, snickering. "You're always drawing the same guy."

Miyu blushed, trying one more time to take back her drawing. "Well, what's with you?" she spit back. "You always tease me for no reason. Why waste your time?" She pouted, crossing her arms.

"Oh, I have my reasons," the boy chuckled, leaning forward so that his face was only inches away from her own. Miyu would never admit out loud that she thought he was attractive. She turned her face away, stubbornly fixing her attention to a random spec on the wall.

"I'm not interested in dating anyone, Leo," she said more gently, hoping to get through to him. His name was odd, she always noted with faint interest. He was from Ba Sing Se, an old city that has thrived in every way imaginable. She couldn't imagine why he would leave, or why his family would for that matter. Maybe he, too, appreciated the small joys she found in this city.

He sighed. "I can wait." Then he held out her drawing as if to hand it back.

"Don't hold your breath," Miyu smirked, taking her drawing back and storing it somewhere safe. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Miss Kanou was watching them suspiciously, as if she was waiting for an opportunity to call Leo out and help Miyu deflect his advances.

Many boys had expressed their interest in Miyu since as early a time as the sixth grade, but she would always decline. Even now that she was old enough to date, according to her father, she couldn't possibly think of dating anyone when she already had so much on her mind.

"Why do you always draw the same person?" He asked, changing the subject. He knew she wasn't interested in him, and he wasn't the kind of person to force anything on her. Of course, that never stopped him from poking fun from time to time. He was the only person in the school who really made an effort to talk to her besides Miss Kanou. By the time he had figured that out, it became much more difficult to let her be.

"Well…" Miyu struggled to find the right words for a moment. Maybe the answer was simpler than she thought. "I've read a lot about him in books. I admire him." She felt her face warming up again.

"So if I was Prince Zuko, would you actually give me the time of day?" Leo chuckled, light from the window catching his light blue eyes in a short lived glint.

"W-What?" Miyu stuttered, nearly dropping her backpack as she fastened it over her shoulders. She would be lying if she ever told anyone that she didn't fantasize like most teenage girls did. It was one way she could take her mind off of the sea and off of the young woman who once bent its waves so passionately. Miyu would never consider dating anyone, but that wouldn't stop her from including in her daydreams her own idea of romance. It was silly and Miyu had little time to wonder about these things. She pushed her thoughts aside for now. "A-Actually, I should get going. Bye!" She said hastily, running for the door.

"Hey, wait up!" Leo shouted, but before he could say anything more, she was already gone.

* * *

Her father was out late tonight teaching a student advanced forms. She and her mother ate dinner in silence, though comfortable. Miyu placed a light kiss on her mother's cheek and excused herself to her bedroom, where she sat at her desk with only the dim light of a candle that she preferred over any lamp. She peered at the drawing she had completed of Prince Zuko that day, and the longer she studied it, the less complete it really looked.

She never quite realized how often she dreamt of living in a time when she would truly need her waterbending to protect her. What sort of waterbender could only heal, but not actually bend the water?

Miyu was odd. That much she knew without a single doubt.

She healed without touching. It was the only task Miyu had ever been adept at. She knew it was unnatural, and the few waterbenders in Hirokai who could also heal saw her ability as a new approach to psychic bloodbending, a taboo ability that was outlawed in the court of Republic City years before Avatar Aang's first child was born.

Miyu didn't have the ability to manipulate the blood within someone's body. She would never call herself a bloodbender. That was something only a select few in the world could ever do. Though, strangely enough, Miyu could heal someone just by sitting beside that person and focusing on whatever was physically causing him or her pain. Because of this, the elder waterbenders in Hirokai began to call her the world's first known psychic healer and strayed from the idea that she was to be feared.

Miyu's father explained to her once that he believed, if it wasn't for her involvement in the accident that took away her sister, she would not be able to heal in such a unique way.

Her close experience with death triggered this strange ability, and though many people had their assumptions as to how and why, it never helped answer the one question Miyu asked herself the most.

Why couldn't she heal her sister?

Propping her elbows on her desk, she pressed her face into her hands and sighed. Even after ten long years, it was something she still couldn't let go of.

She nearly tilted backwards in her chair when a loud crashing sound tore through the normally silent household. It was unlike anything she had ever heard before, and she wasted no time in swinging her door open to peer into the dark hallway outside her door.

Could someone have broken in? Miyu's heart began to pound. She tiptoed forward, her mind racing with ideas as to what she could use as protection. Waterbending was always out of the question. As much as it pained her to admit it, even to herself, she was useless as a waterbender.

Where were her parents?

A strange glow began to creep out from beneath Aya's bedroom door. Miyu was afraid of what the source could possibly be, but curiosity got the better of her. It angered her to think of the possibility that someone had broken in – especially through her sister's window.

Slowly, carefully, she pressed open the door and peeked inside, her eyes widening at what she found.

Aya's mirror was glowing faintly, only enough to illuminate the room like a campfire would illuminate a small clearing in a forest. Is this where that strange sound came from?

Shutting the door behind her, Miyu crept forward cautiously. She must've fallen asleep at her desk. This must be some sort of dream. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Though Miyu was uncertain, something about the mirror drew her towards it, pleading with her just as she pleaded to the waves in the sea. There was a part of her that wanted to run to her parents and hide behind them, but her curiosity was far too stubborn. She reached a hand forward hesitantly before coaxing her fingers over its smooth surface.

Before she could react, it felt as though someone grabbed her wrist and pulled her through.

She slipped into a black void, hearing a soft, familiar voice as she drifted along the edge of consciousness.

"_Don't be afraid_."

* * *

Author's Note: Hey, guys! FHM here, reporting for duty. It's been about two years since I've actually submitted any ounce of writing to this website, and I can thank becoming a college student for that. College is crazy - in some ways good and other ways bad. For one thing, I'm pretty much always busy. Even when I'm sleeping, I'm busy, because my stupid brain comes up with ways to remind me of the stress on my shoulders. I am a music major, which means that I might as well live in a practice room. All I can really say about that is, "SO... MUCH... FLUTE... AND PIANO..." Anyway, I'd also really like to say that, for those of you who have been patiently waiting for a True Colors update... I'm sorry I basically fell off the face of the Earth for a couple of years. I really do plan to complete it someday soon, but it might just have to be during the summer when I'm not thinking so much about classes. And honestly, I haven't worked on it in so long, or any other story for that matter, that I'm really trying to get back into the swing of things. I have been in a bit of a funk lately, and by funk, I mean I'm taking medication for depression... well, sort of. I'm weening myself off of it for... well, reasons. 0.o Writing is something I haven't involved myself with since I started my college classes as a freshman and I forgot exactly how much happiness I used find in sitting in my room with some nice music in the background and in just... writing, writing, and writing some more. I picked it back up about two or three weeks ago (I kinda lost count, haha), and it really seems to be helping out with my emotions. I don't know how many of you actually read these author's notes, but I figured I'd give a brief explanation of where I am in my life currently.

Anyways, I decided to start working on this fic, mostly for my own pleasure. Personally, I've been wanting to take a stab at making my own "Zuko falls in love with OC" story without creating a Mary Sue or a "Zuko-instantly-falls-in-love-with-perfect-OC-and-they-live-happily-ever-after"type thing. I would probably jump off a ten story building if I found out that I created a Mary Sue. Not really, but I would be so disappointed with myself. DX Another purpose why I decided to start this fic is that I am trying to redirect my thoughts. Depression has dragged me into a sort of negative thinking cycle... But enough about that. I suppose, in a way, I am personifying my own heartache as Miyu. Granted, Miyu and I are nothing alike and this isn't a self-insert cliche. As she grows and becomes, in her own way, a person who learns to forgive herself and accept the circumstances in her life that she cannot change, I hope to do the same in my own life. This story is sort of a way for me to gain new perspectives.

So yeah. I blah, blah, blah'd for a bit. Thanks for reading! :D More chapters are to come in the future. Depends on life and college and practicing and junk. Ermagerd, FLERTE ERND PIERNERRR!


	3. Chapter Two

_Facing the Sun_

* * *

_Chapter Two_

* * *

Something about the way the darkness never ceased to end led her to believe that maybe she was simply dreaming, feeling her way aimlessly down a long dark corridor and hoping to find whatever source of light she could. And then, after nothing but cold licking hungrily at her fingertips for so long, she would feelsomething warm and comforting. Memories would embrace her heart and silence her fears – memories of when her mother used to sit with her on the veranda in the beginnings of spring and run her fingers through her long hair, braiding them so beautifully that Miyu would never want to untie them.

Then it was back to the darkness. The chilly void that never seemed to end. Down the long dark corridor Miyu traveled, drifting like a single falling leaf in the late of autumn.

Not for a moment did she question this place. Though it was a place far from the warmth and comfort of the sun, she crept onward, her feet carrying her along as if she no longer commanded them. Then she heard voices in the distance, their words all but whispers. She called out to them without words of her own, for her own voice had long since betrayed her.

At last, there was a light far ahead, waiting for her patiently. She forgot about her voice's untimely betrayal and begged her feet to carry her at a quicker pace. She longed for the soothing warmth entangled in her beloved memories to caress her skin once more, if only once….

* * *

Something brushed past her ear, prickling it just enough to send chills all down her spine. Miyu turned her head away reflexively, groaning and mumbling something about not wanting to get out of bed. She brought her legs up, curling her small body as a lazy cat basking in the sun would.

Again, the tickling sensation caught the sensitive edges of her ear, then ravaged through her hair. There was a huff, and then another, loud enough to jerk Miyu awake.

"I _said _stop that!" she screeched, springing her upper body from the dirt she mistook as her clean bed sheets. Her eyes locked with two large black orbs staring back, reflecting the midday sun like glass marbles. "Uhh…" Miyu looked around, suddenly very aware that this place was, in fact, not her bedroom and that the person who was trying to wake her up was, in fact, not a person at all.

It was an ostrich horse.

It whinnied gleefully, stamping its hooves in approval of Miyu's attention.

Miyu laughed nervously, slowly inching her way backwards. How in the _world _did she end up here, in a barn? Maybe she was still dreaming, though this would certainly make for a very odd dream.

"Oh, hey! You're finally awake!"

Miyu scrambled in surprise, her hands slipping over scattered hay straws.

A young boy with dark hair and tanned skin peered over the wooden barrier between Miyu and freedom, or at least fresh air. He folded his arms and rested them on the gate's surface, setting his chin down and smiling in fascination with the strange girl in the barn. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare ya. My Grandma's been askin' me to keep an eye on you. She's real funny about strangers. That's why you're sleepin' in a barn." Then he chuckled. "Tao doesn't seem to mind the company, though."

The ostrich horse whinnied again and approached the boy as if demanding his attention. Miyu was relieved, taking the opportunity to stand and brush the dirt and hay from her clothes. "Where am I? And how long have I been asleep in this barn?"

"You're in Ba Sing Se!" The boy piped as if the answer was obvious. "The lower ring. And to answer your other question, you've been sleepin' in there for about three days. Thought you'd never wake up!"

"Ba…Sing…" Miyu felt dizzy. "No way. _How_?"

"Uhh… Well, don't ask me. All I know is that my Grandma found you sleepin' against her mirror in the day room," he shrugged, patting Tao gently on the nose. "So where are you from? Maybe me and my grandma can take ya back."

"A mirror?" Miyu's eyes widened. A _mirror_.

This couldn't be happening.

"I'm from a small town called Hirokai," she started timidly. "Does that sound familiar?" she asked hopefully.

"Hirokai, huh?" The boy narrowed his eyes in thought, rubbing his chin with the pad of his thumb. "Hirokai…"

Miyu nodded. Her heart was racing. "Y-Yes. It's a tiny village by the –"

"Nope."

"Huh?"

"Never heard of it," he chirped then as if that was somehow good news. Tao huffed and pecked at the ground for whatever had stolen his interest.

Miyu rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands, hoping that she could maybe wipe away the boy, the barn, and the ostrich horse and replace them with her parents, her house, and her cat. Though she wanted to dismiss this situation as being just another scene in one of her nonsensical dreams, she was starting to believe that it was all very real – all thanks to a certain mirror in Aya's room.

A mirror that was supposed to be ordinary and turned out to be quite the opposite.

But _now _what?

Miyu paced back and forth, running a hand through her bangs. "I really should've paid more attention to those stories," she mumbled, clenching her eyes shut.

"Are you okay?" The boy cocked an eyebrow. "Ya know, just because _I _haven't heard of that town doesn't mean we can't find someone who _has_ heard of it."

Miyu stopped in her tracks, her face lightened. "Wait, is your grandmother home now? Is there any way I can talk to her?"

"Yup and yup. Come on, get outta that barn. Fair warning, though. My grandma will probably make you bathe since you smell like Tao." He chuckled, crinkling his nose as Miyu followed him out past the shady confines of the barn. Tao whinnied in disappointment, prancing back and forth in an attempt to call them back.

"I'll come back, buddy." The boy smiled over his shoulder, catching one last glimpse of Tao's display before turning his attention back to Miyu.

"By the way, I'm Touya."

"Miyu," she said faintly, her mind wandering. What would her parents think once they discover her empty bed? What would they think when they see that she was nowhere to be found? She shivered at the thought. Miyu didn't want to reopen their scars from having lost one daughter already. For a moment, she remembered the sound of her mother's sobs when she would cry late at night.

"Hey, anybody in there? Earth to Miyu!"

Miyu flinched as if waking up from a daydream in Ms. Kanou's class. "S-Sorry," she uttered. "This situation is just a bit…" she thought for a brief moment, biting her lip, "surreal to me. And a little scary."

"Yeah, well I guess I'd be pretty darn scared too if I woke up in some strange place. Especially a barn. You were probably sleeping in Tao's poop."

They headed up a short set of rickety wooden steps to an obviously aged porch, where Touya swung the door open with the least amount of grace Miyu had ever seen.

She hesitated to follow behind, instead angling her neck just enough to somewhat peer inside.

"Well what are you waitin' for, Miyu? Grandma might be a little suspicious of you because you're a stranger an' all, but she doesn't bite!" Touya laughed. "She's really nice, actually."

"Okay." Miyu smiled faintly, though she imagined a small, wrinkled old lady with the fangs of a saber tooth lion moose waiting for her inside. She swallowed a thick lump in her throat.

* * *

"You smell like poop!" An old woman croaked, crinkling her nose. "I should've known better than to make you sleep out there with that smelly octopus horse."

"_Ostrich_ horse." Touya sat across from his grandmother in the day room, satisfied that his prediction had come true. He knew his grandma all too well.

"Whatever. Same difference." The old woman shakily rose from her chair, motioning for Miyu to follow. "Come on, poor thing. You need a bath."

"I'm sorry to be such a burden," Miyu said gently, following the old woman down the nearby hallway to the last room. "I'm honestly not sure how I got here in the first place." She decided against mentioning the mirror that had transported her. The old woman already looked at her as if she had three heads and they had just met only moments ago.

"No use in apologizing, dear. Things happen all the time that are beyond our control," she sighed, opening a door that revealed a surprisingly lavish bathroom in stark contrast with the rest of the humble household. "We just have to make the best of it. I'm starting by making sure you get a bath," she chuckled, lighting candles to illuminate the room.

"Thanks," Miyu said quietly. "I could really use one, that's for sure."

"Well, it's all yours. Go for it. Just don't stay in there too long or you'll start to look wrinkly like me!" The woman cackled, shutting the door on her way out and leaving Miyu to her own devices.

Miyu sighed and gripped the edge of her top with both hands, intent on tugging it up and over her head when there was a knock on the door.

Before she had a chance to reply, the door swung open and the old woman waddled back in with a clean towel and long, silky dress that made Miyu's eyes widen.

"Can't forget about these. You can wear this dress for now, since your clothes are filthy. I wore it when I was about your age and I was pretty slender like you, so it should fit all right. I don't believe I can find anything else in my closet close to this size. Anyway, carry on with your stripping!" And just like that, she was back out the door.

Miyu waited a moment just to be sure the woman wouldn't come back before undressing, and then she slowly dipped herself in the tub. The water wasn't exactly warm as she hoped, but it felt good to rid her body of the grime she had attained by sleeping in the barn for three days.

Why in the world did she sleep for so long?

So many questions flooded her mind. Miyu let her head dip beneath the water's surface, resting herself on the tub's floor and creating tiny air pockets around her nose.

She hadn't even bothered to ask what year it was. Actually, she hadn't thought to ask much about anything. She was so overwhelmed that most of what she wanted to say ended up as a sigh or a swallow instead. Her heart began to thump a little harder at the thought that she would never get back home – at the possibility that she had gone back in time, even. She couldn't stay with these people for too long. They were kind enough for even letting her sleep in the barn, despite the fact that she was a stranger and they had no idea what she was and wasn't capable of. She was lucky they didn't drag her out into the street and let her sleep there, instead.

Then again, wasn't this what she wanted? To find her place in the world, even if that meant she would be taken far from the safety and familiarity of her home?

Miyu wasn't so sure anymore.

Her eyes snapped open when she remembered one vital detail. She came up for some fresh air, rubbing the water out of her eyes with the back of her hands.

Touya had mentioned that Miyu was found sleeping in front of a mirror in this house.

"_The day room,_" Miyu thought to herself aloud.

Maybe she could go back to Hirokai after all.

* * *

"Here, hand me those filthy clothes of yours and I'll wash 'em for you," the old lady beckoned, reaching a hand out to take them.

Miyu had just finished her time in the bathroom, wearing the dress the old woman had kindly left for her. It was a soft, spring-green cheongsam with short sleeves and a slit up the left side that came to a stop mid-thigh. Miyu was thankful for the modest neckline, but her face warmed whenever the material of the dress would slip aside to reveal the smooth skin of her thigh. She would hastily grab for the silk and correct it, hoping to keep herself hidden.

"Th-Thank you, ma'am. For everything," she smiled delicately, her features tainted a light pink.

"No problem," the woman said gruffly, though the deceptive smile on her face revealed that she was merely frustrated from the physical work of washing Miyu's school uniform.

Miyu tilted her head in curiosity, watching over the woman's shoulder in what appeared to be a laundry room. "This might sound silly, but I was wondering…"

"What is it?"

"Is there such a thing as a washing machine?" Miyu knew that the Ba Sing Se of _her_ time was up to par with the rest of the world, but what about here and now?

The woman stopped suddenly, letting the closes sink in the washbasin. "A _what _now?" She said, cocking an eyebrow and squinting her eyes.

"A washing… nevermind," Miyu chuckled, her face warming.

"Where did you say you were from again?" The woman leaned closer as if to inspect a price tag on an object.

"I'm from Hirokai," Miyu replied nervously. "It's a small town not far from the city, Hitachi."

"I don't believe I've ever heard of these _Hirokai _and _Hitachi_ places." The woman turned back to her work, kneading the fabric with a type of soap that reminded Miyu of her mother's flower garden from years ago.

"Oh." Miyu frowned, peering down at her feet.

After a moment, she wandered into the day room in search of a mirror, hoping that she would find her passage back home. Of course, she would wait to say goodbye to Touya and his grandmother, but Miyu was far too anxious to push thoughts of home aside. For the time being, it seemed as if the woman wanted to be left alone to work in peace, so Miyu decided she might as well use to time to see the mirror for herself.

"Whatcha doin', Miyu?"

Touya came in from being outside with Tao, Miyu assumed. "I'm looking for that mirror you said I was sleeping in front of." She realized she sounded a little odd and suspicious. "I mean, you mentioned that I woke up in front of a mirror, so…"

"Oh. Right over there, behind the chair grandma always sits on. She was thinkin' about selling that old mirror for some coin. Been runnin' a little low on funds lately."

"Oh," Miyu smiled, clutching her arm. "Thanks. I was just curious." Would he believe her if she told him that's where she came from? Probably not. She sighed, brushing a hand through her bangs. She would probably have to tell him sooner or later, but she wasn't quite ready at the moment.

"Somethin' on your mind?" Touya asked, a smile creeping along his rowdy features.

"I…" she thought for a moment, caught between being bluntly honest or just a little honest. She settled for the latter. "I'm just worried, I guess. Seems like your grandmother's never heard of Hirokai, either."

"My grandma never gets out of the house! Don't ask that woman anything about town and cities outside of Ba Sing Se."

"I heard that!" The woman shouted from the laundry room. Miyu and Touya laughed.

"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll find someone who can help you. This city is _huge_! There are so many people here. I'm sure at least one can help you out somehow," Touya supplied with a friendly smile. "Believe it or not, I have permission to travel to the upper ring. That's where my dad lives."

"Why don't you guys just live with him, then?" Miyu's curiosity got the better of her. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be nosy," she uttered.

"No, it's okay. I had a choice to live with him or live with my grandma. I chose to live here because my dad is… well…" Touya scraped the floor with his foot, his eyes becoming distant for a moment. "My dad isn't really a dad most of the time. He drinks a lot."

Miyu nodded in understanding. "I'm sorry," she said gently.

"Sure, this isn't the nicest ring to live in. This house is small and we barely have any property. This ring is really, _really_ crowded with people, and there's a lot of crime. But my grandma is like a mother to me. She always has been. I would choose love over riches any day! That's why I chose to live here with her."

"Then you're on the right track to becoming a fine young man, Touya." His grandmother approached them from the other room, tenderly pulling the boy into a side hug. "Well Miyu, your clothes need some time to dry and then they should be as good as new." Then she glanced approvingly over Miyu's outfit. "You might as well keep that dress. It's been sitting in my closet for years collecting dust. Besides, I'm too old to even consider wearing that thing ever again. Probably give Touya nightmares for the rest of his life!" She cackled, ruffling the boy's hair.

Touya grimaced. "You're probably right," he mumbled, though only Miyu heard.

"Are you sure?" Miyu asked, looking over the dress. It had been kept in excellent shape. Not only that, but the fabric seemed like it was probably very expensive. It reminded her of a dress Aya used to point out every time they would go to the mall in Hitachi. She was always say how much she would love to wear a dress like that, and Miyu secretly planned all along to save her allowances in order to buy it for her.

Even though things have changed, the dress was still there, and Miyu was still putting her yuans into her piggy bank for her sister.

"_Oh_, take it. I won't miss it."

Miyu's eyes widened. "That's very kind of you. Thank you so much! It's beautiful."

"Good. I'm glad you like it." Then the woman smirked. "Ya know, it looks sexy on you. You might pick up a few bachelors if you decide to look around the city," she said deviously, wiggling her eyebrows.

Miyu's face turned several shades of red. "Wh-What? A-Actually, I might change back into my school clothes before leaving. I'm not ready for that kind of attention."

"Yeah, that's a good idea. Trust me, a lot of guys around here have no class!" Touya said, crossing his arms. "This is no place to walk around wearing a cheongsam. And besides, the last thing she needs to worry about right now is pickin' up some guy!"

Miyu nodded briskly.

"I was only teasing!" The woman scolded. "Besides, you should save it for something special. A trip around the city might end up ruining it, anyway."

"So, once your clothes finish dryin', whaddya say we give the upper ring a try?" Touya asked.

"I would like that very much," Miyu said with a gentle smile, though in the back of her mind, her curiosity still nagged her about the mirror.

She waited until Touya busied himself with cleaning his room (under his grandmother's instruction) and the old woman busied herself with another household chore that took her to a room down the hallway. Then, she circled around the chair Touya had pointed to earlier, resting her eyes one the mirror she had supposedly been sleeping beside.

"Hmm…" She bit her lip, reaching a hand to rest it on the mirror's cool surface. It didn't glow like the one in Aya's room, nor did it react in any way to her hand. She let out a breath she had been holding, only to plop herself down on the floor beside the mirror.

There was a part of her that wanted the mirror to take her back, despite the attachment she already had to the boy and his grandmother. If not this mirror, then _which one_? And where would she find it? If her grandmother's stories were correct, the mirror in Aya's room should've transported her to one of the other six like it.

But it didn't.

Miyu was beginning to feel dizzy, but the thought of there being someone who could help her in Ba Sing Se lightened her spirits if only a little.

She wasn't sure how she would find the right mirror and get back home. Even though there were seven possible mirrors, they could be anywhere. A small voice in the back of her mind reminded her of final moments in Aya's room, when she thought she felt her sister's presence.

"_Don't be afraid_," someone had told her. Miyu believed with all of her heart that it was Aya.

Her eyes brimmed with tears at the onslaught of repressed emotions, but she held them back stubbornly. She never would've believed that a _mirror_ could transport her _anywhere_, but now, she wished she would've paid attention to her grandmother's stories a little more. Aya had once convinced her that they were only fantasy, but now, Miyu knew better.

Though she was far from home, she was determined to find her place in the world, no matter how afraid she was. Miyu didn't know why her sister was taken from her all those years ago, nor did she know why the accident left her powerless to waterbend any more than bubbles and splashes. She didn't know why she could only heal, and why that ability was so strangely acute, but deep down, she believed that it was all a part of a destiny she was resolved to find.

In a world always so full of wounds both physical and emotional, Miyu hoped that there was room for someone who could possibly contribute to healing those wounds. Maybe that was what she needed in order to heal her own.

She looked over her shoulder into the mirror behind her, studying her reflection coldly.

* * *

Touya yawned and stretched exaggeratedly, stepping off the monorail and heading through the small station into the sunlight of late afternoon. Miyu followed quietly behind, her eyes wide in wonder of the exquisite layout of the ring.

"Wow…" she whispered, staring up along a plethora of evenly-spaced, golden rooftops of lavish households.

"Well, here we are! Whaddya think? It's pretty nice, huh?" Touya piped, taking a deep breath. Even the air seemed to be different here.

"It's incredible," Miyu breathed, surveying everything in sight.

"Come on, I can show you around. And while we're at it, we can ask some people if they know anything about your town." He turned to walk away and stopped abruptly when Miyu grasped the back of his shirt.

"Wait…" Miyu trailed, unsure of how to begin.

"What's the matter?" Touya asked, frowning.

"Actually, I don't think anyone will know about my town, Touya." She grasped her wrist wearily, peering off into a grouping of colorful lilies.

"Why?" His eyebrows furrowed.

"Because it doesn't exist yet," she said quietly, bringing her eyes to meet his.

"Wait, _yet_? What are you sayin', Miyu?"

"I'm…" she struggled to find the right words. No matter what she thought of, it all sounded too awkward to say out loud. Regardless, she needed to say something. "I'm from a different time. I know this is very difficult to believe, but I ended up being transported here by some kind of legendary mirror. I think my grandmother called it…" she raked her memories for the answer that waited at the tip of her tongue.

Touya started snickering, and the more he tried to contain it, the more obvious it became.

"No, really! I know, it's crazy, but you have to believe me," Miyu pleaded, her face reddening. "Stop laughing!" She feared that she would start laughing, too. And then her story would be _really_ difficult to believe.

"I'm sorry," he finally managed to squeak, wiping tears from the corners of his eyes. "You're funny, ya know that?"

"You don't believe me," she said flatly, her shoulders drooping.

He sighed. "I don't know how I feel about '_magic_' mirrors and whatnot. But you are pretty strange compared to most of the people I've met around here. And I mean that in a good way."

"So…" Miyu started, hope drenching her features.

"You don't strike me as a liar, so even though the idea of being spit out into the past by a mirror _is _pretty funny, I'll help you. I guess you want to look around for a mirror that can send you back to where you came from, right?"

Miyu blinked. "Yeah," she said in surprise. "That's the plan."

Touya grabbed her wrist, tugging her forward. "Then let's get goin'! I know just the place to start."

* * *

"So where are we going, exactly?" Miyu asked, peering down at Touya who seemed excited for unknown reasons.

"There's this tea shop where my dad works. All kinds of people go there. Instead of wanderin' the streets, we can just ask around in the tea shop. What could it hurt? Besides, Quon likes me."

"Who?"

"The owner of the shop. He's pretty nice. You're weird and all, but I think he'd like you, too."

"Hey!" she chuckled, flicking Touya in the back of the head. "Okay, I'm weird. Glad we've established that."

Touya laughed in return. "Well, you _do _travel through mirrors."

"Yeah… That _is _pretty weird. I guess I can't argue with that."

The sun was beginning to set over the rooftops, leaving the sky a deep shade of orange. Miyu realized a while ago that the streets in the upper ring were generally less crowded, with the occasional carriage passing by or a few well-dressed people here and there walking to and from their houses or wherever their interests led them. Tempting smells from a nearby restaurant wafted past Miyu's nose, stirring a low rumble in her stomach. Music drifted by from somewhere in the distance, and lamps began to flicker to life and light the city in the sun's absence.

She and Touya took steps that subtly led to a higher elevation of sidewalk, where a fairly large shop sat not too far ahead. There were people going in and out, and it became apparent that this place was a favorite among the city's residents.

"The Jasmine Dragon," Miyu read aloud from the lettering on the building, tilting her head slightly.

_Where had she heard that name before? _Before she could say anything else, Touya bolted ahead and out of her reach.

"Last one there's a rotten ostrich horse egg!" He laughed.

"Hey, no fair! You cheat!" Miyu sprung forward, not minding the strange looks she got from the upper class citizens around her.

She couldn't help but laugh as she slipped past several people, catching a slight glimpse of Touya as he reached the entrance and headed in without her.

'_Boys. Always so competitive_,' she thought. "Touya, wait up!"

Finally making it to the door, she slipped her fingers around the handle, easily forgetting that there was likely to be anyone on the other side. In her haste, she swung the door open and propelled herself forward, slamming right into someone.

To make things worse, she lost her footing and landed on this person, too.

Miyu's face turned a million shades of red before she dared to look up and beg for mercy from the person she had landed on so clumsily. There was a groan or two, deeper than she expected. Ignoring the snickers and gasps of those who had witnessed her tragically embarrassing accident, she slowly lifted her head, locking eyes with a set of unusual amber ones staring right back.

Suddenly, she was frozen in place, her mouth slightly agape and her eyes widening faintly. Her mind screamed at her to get up – to do anything but _this_, but it was as if she had forgotten how to move altogether.

"Prince Zuko…" she whispered breathlessly.

* * *

A/N: Things have been pretty hectic for the past few weeks, but spring break is finally here and I can do whatever I please for a week straight! Well, for the most part. It's wonderful. Anyway, thanks to those of you who gave your time to read this! I'm trying to make sense of where this story will go, so I will be dealing with some writer's block here and there, but I will do my best to update this story whenever I can. Again, thank you so much! Make this writer happy and come back for chapter three. Me gusta. :D


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